Sweden ends Covid-19 testing as pandemic restrictions lifted

A staff member collects the last COVID-19 PCR tests at the testing site of Svagertorp in Malmoe, Sweden on Tuesday. Pic/AFP

Sweden has halted wide-scale testing for COVID-19 even among people showing symptoms of an infection, putting an end to the mobile city-square tent sites, drive-in swab centers and home-delivered tests that became ubiquitous during the pandemic and provided essential data for tracking its spread.

The move puts the Scandinavian nation at odds with most of Europe, but some experts say it could become the norm as costly testing yields fewer benefits with the easily transmissible but milder omicron variant and as governments begin to consider treating COVID-19 like they do other endemic illnesses.

"We have reached a point where the cost and relevance of the testing is no longer justifiable." Swedish Public Health Agency chief Karin Tegmark Wisell told the national broadcast SVT this week.

"If we were to have extensive testing adapted to everyone who has COVID-19, that would mean half a billion kronor a week (about $55 million) and 2 billion a month ($220 million)," Tegmark Wisell added.

Starting Wednesday, only health care and elderly care workers and the most vulnerable will be entitled to free PCR testing if they are symptomatic, while the rest of the population will simply be asked to stay home if they show symptoms that could be COVID-19.

Antigen tests are readily available for purchase in supermarkets and pharmacies, but those results aren't reported to health authorities. Private health care providers can also perform tests and offer certificates for international travel, but the cost won't be reimbursed by the state or health insurance.

WHO says case counts decline

The World Health Organisation says coronavirus case counts fell 17 per cent worldwide over the past week compared to the previous week, including a 50 per cent drop in United States, while deaths globally declined 7 per cent. The WHO reported more than 19 million new cases of COVID-19 and under 68,000 new deaths during the week from Jan. 31 to Feb. 6. As with all such tallies, experts say such figures are believed to greatly underestimate the real toll. Case counts fell in each of WHO's six regions except its eastern Mediterranean zone, which reported a 36 per cent jump, notably with increases in Afghanistan, Iran and Jordan.

Border trade between Canada, US threatened

Canadian lawmakers expressed increasing worry Tuesday about the economic effects of disruptive demonstrations after the busiest border crossing between the US and Canada was partially blocked by truckers protesting vaccine mandates and other COVID-19 restrictions.

The blockade at the Ambassador Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, prevented traffic from entering Canada, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said, calling the bridge "one of the most important border crossings in the world." It carries 25 per cent of trade between Canada and the US. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said such blockades will have serious implications on economy and supply chains. PM Justin Trudeau said protesters are "trying to blockade our economy, our democracy."

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